Espeo Software

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In terms of the code they produced, we now have an up-and-running application that meets the specifications we provided. It's incomplete since it's a massive project, but they were able to accomplish a lot in six months.

In terms of UI/UX design, we prepared over 100 slides and Espeo was able to incorporate a majority of those into the prototype before we halted the project. I’d say that’s pretty significant.

How did Espeo Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack and Google Docs to coordinate the project, and they also used their own internal Scrum application. Dominik was always on task and readily available.

There were occasional miscommunications about what would be accomplished in any given sprint. We found that certain tasks were not completed as scheduled, but they quickly addressed the issue once we pointed out the error.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was a fairly complicated project, both in terms of the technical aspects, as well as understanding the overall vision. Espeo grasped the project quickly and was enthusiastic about the work. Their intuitiveness saved us the time of having to explain every concept.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication could definitely be improved. We initially tried to do weekly calls, but soon found this to be completely unproductive. They preferred to use appear.in for these remote calls, but the connection was always poor. The project team was based in Poland, so it was sometimes difficult to speak directly given the language barrier.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before engaging with the development team, be sure to have your UI/UX worked out. We ended up hiring developers before they were needed, which created a lot of idle time. As long as you’re clear about where you are in the development process, Espeo will help you determine what resources are needed.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The evaluation tool is being used internally, and users have been excited about the outcomes. It has made our work efficient, reducing the time needed to do the evaluations. The tool has also improved the quality of the evaluations.

How did Espeo Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve experienced few issues in the past 4 months that we’ve worked with Espeo. Schedules have been met 90% of the time. Any delays were mostly because of urgent mid-sprint change requests or other unknowns that could not be planned against.

Project communication is handled professionally, from planning and follow-ups to demos. We currently have 2-week sprints, but we also communicate as needed. We have a Slack channel to discuss things. When we have something urgent to discuss, we can do that right away by appear.in, phone, or Slack. Aside from team meetings based on the Scrum schedule, we also have planning meetings and a demo meeting bi-weekly about the work that’s being done.

Based on our experience with various game and software projects, we were expecting to have more issues and problems. That’s why we decided to have a kick-off meeting face-to-face with the development team in Poznan, Poland. It was a great opportunity to build a long-lasting relationship with the team members. We met again 2 months later, when we started another project with a second team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Espeo delivered as expected, and in some cases, beyond our expectations. They work in an effective manner and follow industry standards.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I only have positive things to say about them. They speak good English, but sometimes the communication breaks down because of Internet issues. That isn’t their fault; it’s just what happens when working with a remote team.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback from our own engineers was that Espeo Software's team was very flexible in adapting to existing software development methodologies. This was important for the team they were working with. Espeo Software also had great technical expertise, which allowed them to become involved quickly without too much overhead. They were committed to what they promised and delivered on that.

I was not involved with the work on a low level, but I'm sure that any challenges they came across were solved in a collaborative way. Espeo Software was part of a 20-person team, so there was a lot of collaboration between them and the rest of our resources.

How did Espeo Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We have an on-site engineering manager in Poland. We also have a project manager in charge of the work in terms of releases and scope. We also have a US-based product manager who is in charge of translating business requirements into technical stories which are added to our JIRA backlog. Based on the feedback they received, Espeo Software integrated well into our process.

We started the engagement completely on-site, with Espeo Software's engineers working with ours from Monday to Friday. After a two-month period, we started letting them work off-site for two days a week. In the end, Espeo Software's team only came to our office for review meetings, planning, and retrospectives for one day a week. The communication was constant, regardless of Espeo Software's location.

What distinguishes Espeo Software from other providers?

The good technical expertise on Espeo Software's team is the first thing I'd highlight. They adapted to our business and development models quickly. "Local" is also a keyword.

Is there anything Espeo Software could have improved or done differently?

There's always room for improvement. Espeo Software could have more diversity in terms of projects, but this will come as they grow their team.